English Language BENGB1

Section A: Categorising Texts

Overview

1 hour 48 marks ‘Group’ texts together and analyse them

Groupings

• purpose • audience • genre • formality • speech • writing • multimodality • representation • linguistic areas (e.g. lexis, grammar, phonetics /phonology

etc).

BUT- think of your own too! Some students may consider subtle groupings such as use of humour,

Genre- for example adverts, narratives, poetry, instructions, recipes etc.

Formal register Informal register Intended audience- for example

children, females, males or simply a specific audience such as gamers or birdwatchers etc.

Mixed mode Spoken Purpose- for example to persuade, to

instruct, to inform, to teach, to entertain etc.

Use of second person pronouns Use of first person pronouns Use of adjectives Spontaneous speech Planned speech Represented speech Lexical fields Imperative mood Interrogative mood Declarative mood Exclamative mood  

Rhyme Minor sentences Complex sentences Dynamic verb Stative verbs Comparatives Superlatives Idiolect Modal verb- epistemic or deontic Phonological features such as

alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeias etc.

Grice’s maxims Subject specific lexis/ jargon Deixis (context dependent) Distance between intended

reader/listener and writer/speaker Abstract nouns Figurative language such as metaphors,

similes, hyperboles, oxymoron’s etc. Whether a text is ephermal or not Tense for example present tense, past

tense or future tense Interesting graphology  

You should use the following linguistic methods to explore the groupings

Lexis the vocabulary system; meaning at

word and phrase levelGrammar the structural relationships within

and between sentences and utterances

Phonetics/ Phonology the sounds of English, how they are

produced and how they are described; including aspects of prosody

Pragmatics the ways in which social

conventions and implied meanings are encoded in spoken and written language

Discourse (i) longer stretches of text, looking

particularly at aspects of cohesion (ii) the way texts create identities for

particular individuals, groups or institutions

Graphology language as a semiotic system creating

meaning through textual design, signs and images.

Register situational variation and register: how

language varies in relation to audiences, purposes and contexts

Mode how language may vary as a

consequence of the channel of communication (speech, writing and mixed modes)

idiolect the language style acquired by

individuals as a result of their personal characteristics, systems of belief and social experience

dialect the variations in language produced as a

result of local community and regional diversity

sociolect language variations produced by the

effects of education, socio-economic class, systems of belief, occupation

Select 2 or 3 texts

Decide on a way to group them

Use linguistic methods to analyse/compare

Tips for this section Successful students will explore 2,3 or 4 groupings Successful students will look at 2 or 3 texts per

grouping It is perfectly fine to use different texts for different

groupings In this section you REALLY need to show off your

knowledge of linguistic methods and linguistic terminology

Examiners’ report- successful candidates have good coverage of the texts employ terminology accurately use a good range of language methods choose a range of interesting groups have an open-minded approach to grouping texts . avoiding approaching the texts

in a pre-planned way link groups together to show cross-boundary texts for example, Text C can also

be grouped with A and D as well as with B and E place the same texts in different groups showing the complex nature of the task explore differences between texts within one group using comparative vocabulary

to aid cohesion move beyond feature spotting and describing link language methods to contextual factors consistently use graphology as a focus in often subtle ways; the significance of colour was

frequently explored.

Examiners’ report- less successful students offer groups on the sole basis of grammatical reasons - less able candidates

were sometimes confused in their terminology while more able candidates were restricted in their approach

move into theoretical ideas in detail (an approach more appropriate for section B

employ a pre-planned approach which often led to unconvincing groupings as the texts did not fit their plan

use one text as a group- this is a misinterpretation of the task and limits achievement as discussion of differences and complexities is not possible

feature spot with no discussion of influential contextual factors employ limited terminology use a narrow range of language methods list many groups, often with very limited discussion and development produce groups which were used only to discuss differences rather than

exploring the connections between the texts.

How you are being marked:

AO1, AO2 and AO3 are all assessed equally in this section:

AO1: Select and apply a range of linguistic methods to communicate relevant knowledge using appropriate terminology and coherent, accurate written expression (16 marks available)

AO2:Demonstrate critical understanding of a range of concepts and issues related to the construction and analysis of meanings in spoken and written language, using knowledge of linguistic approaches (16 marks available)

AO3: Analyse and evaluate the influence of contextual factors on the production and reception of spoken and written language, showing knowledge of the key constituents of language (16 marks available)

Summarising the AOs- what the examiners want to see Excellent written expression (your writing making sense!) Perceptive linguistic knowledge (understanding all the areas such as

lexis, grammar etc) An excellent and accurate use of sophisticated terminology Explaining your reasons for grouping texts When analysing, looking for subtleties not just the obvious Analysing and interpreting contextual factors

Purpose

Of the texts you have in front of you, select three that interest you in terms of PURPOSE. This is a ‘grouping’ and in the exam you might spend 15-20 minutes writing about just this one grouping

Purposes- avoid ‘broad’ purpose and focus in on the specific

‘Broad’ purposes=

Inform Persuade Advise Instruct describe

‘Specific’ purposes=

Raise brand awareness

Create public sympathy

Give assistance and advice to people with addictions

‘Purpose’- what to cover

Is it a multi-purpose text or dual-purpose text? What are the primary and secondary purposes?

How does context affect purpose? Which elements of the lexis help to achieve the purpose? Does

the intended effect match the actual effect? Any other linguistic methods you find relevant. E.g: Does

grammar aid the purpose? Graphology- how do things such as the images, the typography etc complement/detract from the purpose? Does the text have a strong pragmatic meaning which helps achieve the purpose?

Similarites/differences to other texts within the group. Is one text more effective? Are there texts with similar purpose? How have the text producers tried to achieve the same purpose through different methods?

Audience: Elements to consider

Actual writer (Text producer) Implied writer (narrative ‘voice’ of a text) Implied reader (the created, often idealised, persona) Actual reader (Text receiver) Context of production Context of reception Who is the intended audience? (& how you know this) How the text producer communicates with the audience (lexis,

grammar, register, formality etc)

Examples from A grade response to June 2013 paper

Developing analysis

Explain how the text fits into the group. Context- significance/impact/influence Which linguistic features can you use to explore the text IN

TERMS OF THE GROUP IT IS IN How have the linguistic features been used in the text? What are the effects of the features? How important/effective IN TERMS OF THE GROUP IT IS IN?